Watch: LA City Council reconvenes after members caught making racist remarks | USA Today

WARNING: This video may contain offensive language.

Leaked audio of a conversation between some of Los Angeles' top political players that included racist remarks has cascaded into multiple resignations that came to a head during a rowdy – and at times chaotic – city council meeting Wednesday.

RELATED: LA official Mike Bonin responds to racist remarks about Black son

The audio sent shockwaves through the city, which is known as a liberal hub with trendsetting progressive policies, and across the nation — even reaching the White House. At a press conference Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden believes all those heard on the leaked audio should resign and be held accountable for their actions and speech.

Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez announced Tuesday she is taking a "leave of absence" from the council two days after audio leaked of her racist remarks in a meeting last October, the Los Angeles Times reported. Nury and Ron Herrera, the president of Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, both resigned from their presidency positions on Monday, according to the Times.

In the recording obtained by The Times, Martinez could be heard making racist statements about a white councilmember's child, saying her colleague “handled his young Black son as though he were an accessory" and describing the colleague's son in Spanish as “like a monkey.” Martinez resigned from her position as president Monday.

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31 comments

  1. The council people need to just resign . Then they can get back to business. This is very sad. The Governor may need to step in.

    1. @Salty Pureblood Its not a crazy Idea. We’re talking about L.A. after all. As american a city as New York.

  2. Amazing how everyone makes a huge deal about this but there’s no outrage over the tent cities, homelessness, rampant crime, gang violence, fentanyl/meth or insane gas prices plaguing LA.

    1. Your statement is the equivalent to going to a prostate cancer rally and saying what about breast cancer!!!

    2. You should make a huge fuss about your issues. Because if you don’t, then that would be amazing, would it not?

    1. not sure if you’re saying this ironically but I will say that one measure of the strength of individual diversity is the accountability we’re seeing now

    2. I don’t understand your comment John and I don’t understand your comment Phineas, There’s way more strength in unity then they will ever be from diversity😅

    3. @Alyssa Peachy I would be happy to help you understand whatever it is you’re having trouble comprehending.
      for starters, unity and diversity are *not* mutually exclusive. you claim that diversity focuses on differences; that is not incorrect, but you also seem to conveniently ignore the perils of monolithic identity and myopia.

  3. What if any council person, who ever had a racist thought or ever said a racist thing, was let go, who would be left?

    1. Exactly that’s what happens when politicians want to “hear from everyone” but refuse to listen to what’s being screamed at them

    2. If you don’t like it. Tell your city officials to act more professional. Because when they don’t, don’t expect anyone to be quiet about it. Otherwise… What kind of person are you? Ask yourself that.

  4. Isn’t it just so weird that these things always happen in what they claim are the “least racist” places in the Country! 😂😂😂

  5. Council is letting members of the public disrupt and shut down the Council Meeting to put pressure on Martinez/de Leon=Cedillo resign. “Look! We can’t even conduct City business. You (Martinez/de Leon/Cedillo) must resign.” If Council wanted to restore order they could have cleared the chamber. They allowed it to happen. Meanwhile, Martinez/de Leon/Cedillo are being selfish for not resigning at this point because they have ZERO support to stay in their positions. They don’t have ONE supporter. So, it’s sheer selfishness on their part.

  6. These are conversations spoken across this country, in all private meetings, that don’t include blacks. Even in a large majority of white & Hispanic ran institutions, corporations and work places! These 4 individuals opened Pandora’s box, of the American foundation. I’m not shocked! And especially coming from someone in the federation labor union, being apart of this conversation. This racist conversation is deeply rooted in all of America’s work place institutions that’s ran by white and Hispanics. That why, the majority of Americans work under the control of whites and Hispanics!!!!

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